PinPoint
by thornillustrations
Summary: It had been 30 years, and Dib had yet to forget and move past what others dubbed his "imaginary friend", a ghost in his mind that still lurked in the back begging to be discovered. But he wasn't about to let those who swore he was crazy win, he would find Zim, and he would prove to everyone, including himself, that he wasn't a mad man.
1. The Signal

The sliver of pain that rushed back into his mind as he cracked his crusted over brown eyes sent Dib into a jostle of groans and snapping joints, his hand lifting to slap against his wrinkled forehead to try and ease it, but only causing his migraine to come back in full force. He shifted, shoulders aching as he pushed a bottle off his lap, still dawning his military style boots and worn slacks, he couldn't help but try and remember just what happened the night prior.

It began to rush back to him, the dim lights and wobbling steps he took to stagger his way back into his shack of an apartment, and then his inevitable collapse atop the couch that stunk of cigarettes. He blinked, lazily his eyelids fell to a half-hooded look, as his eyes scanned the floor where his collection of beer bottles had begun to overflow. With a frustrated, groggy growl, he dragged himself to his feet, a few more joints snapping as he moved.

He was getting old.

He brushed the thought aside, shuffling through the cans and bottles until he reached his kitchen, unbuckled pants half sagging off his hips, a prominent bump of a beer belly beneath his dirty shirt peeking out. He ventured further until he reached his coffee pot atop the counter, having to push Styrofoam coffee cups out of the way in the process. He sunk against the table top, his arms splayed out and head resting beside it, before popping on the pot and relaxing.

This, just like other mornings, was Dib's regular routine, finding himself confused and in pain after a night of belligerent drinking, and nursing himself back to a ready state of mind. He scanned the room once again, this time, towards the walls spanning with articles and photos of evidence- "Psh- evidence- "He scoffed quietly, glaring at the coffee pot.

They weren't evidence, but dead ends he had researched so desperately the years prior. Nothing- always nothing, not a scrap of clothing, not an evil note. Dib's brows furrowed, his hand coming to scratch and itch at his hairy chin and cheeks, eyes shutting tightly as he slumped down to the floor. What was he doing to himself? Why did he drain himself out like this every day just to get further and further from what he needed?

**Pop**

The sound of the coffee pot finishing its heat up sounded into the air, and Dib slowly dragged himself back to his feet, adjusted his pants and poured himself a cup. Enough of his sulking, he had work to do.

* * *

"So, let me guess…" Came a teasing tone from Dirge, brow lifted incredulously at Dib as the other snapped out of his daydream, blinking and looking around with wild blue eyes. "You drank yourself into another coma." The chubbier of the two relaxed against the café's seat, reclining and lifting his feet to settle atop the table. The two were outside, among chattering and busy businessmen and women, obviously out of place. "I did not- "Dib began to argue, before grumbling and rubbing his hand over his face, propping his glasses up from beneath and rubbing his eyes. "Fine, yeah, does it really matter? Can we just get back to our job?" he murmured. Dirge rolled his eyes, reaching to pull back his rather large, industrial sized backpack, and digging through it. "Yeah, yeah, bigfoot or something."

Dib dropped his hand down his face from rubbing his eyes, resting it against his forehead instead and propping it up as he watched his companion dig through his bag. Dirge had come a long way since they were kids- that mysterious webbed fish toes kid was rather off putting, and always kept quiet about a lot of things. Dib hadn't even realized his intelligence until their high school years, and the two shared a science class or two. Incredibly, the claim of webbed fish toes was true, and Dib and his new friend had gone on to sneak their way into various skeptic and paranormal groups.

"Look, I know you're still wrapped up about that whole alien kid business you've been researching for…how long as it been?" Dirge quirked a brow again, thinking quietly to himself. "15? 17 years?"

"24." Dib interrupted.

Dirge whistled, shaking his head as he shifted to hunch over the table a bit, a folder in hand, his chubby finger pointing to the front. "Well, I think its about to pay off." He murmured, his voice dropping to a quiet tone as he tried to lean in close enough to Dib so that the other's surrounding them couldn't hear.

His interest was instantly peaked as Dirge whispered, quick to join him in hunching over the table and listening intently. "You found something?" He whispered, his voice almost caught in his throat, raw and groggy as he tried his best to be quiet.

"More than something. This is an article I found through one of my inside guys from The Swollen Eyeballs. It talks about some kid they investigated while cooperating with a testing facility dubbed Landsteine Co. They do animal testing, but- "Before Dirge could continue, Dib snagged the file from his hands and began to fly through its contents, sweat obviously beading atop his forehead, his breathing rough and shaking as he scanned each page.

"Ey, calm down! Its not going anywhere!" He whispered harshly, Dib shaking his head slowly as he read through each page. Some of the contents were blacked out, but he could make out a certain passage about a strange purple eyed child, and his involvement with the disappearance of various people through the city of Ontario. "Landsteine- "He repeated under his breath. "Does it have any date of when they found him?" Dib asked in a desperate tone, Dirge shrugging. "Most of it's blacked out. Hard to tell when they found him, or where. Listen, Dib- we should really get back to our- "Before his companion could reply, Dib was off his seat, his black coat dawning his slightly built frame flinging out behind him, scuttling to rush out of the café. "DUDE-!" Dirge shouted, "WHAT ABOUT BIGFOOT!?"

"I'll pay for the tab next time- Thanks Dirge!" He called back, rushing up to the bus stop and clambering on. Dirge grumbled, flopping back into his seat in an exasperated manner. "Yeah, whatever space boy."


	2. The Break

His apartment door flew open, the scrawny, hairy man rushing inside and quickly slamming it shut, his worn hands shaking as he bolted every lock and recoiled a bit. His mind was racing, stumbling as he snagged off his jacket and threw it on the couch, the file he had been gifted by Dirge still in hand. Settling down at his desk, covered in beer cans and crumpled up paper, Dib quickly cleared it off with a push from his arm, letting the garbage fall to the ground.

Putting down the file, he began to flip through its contents once again, the sweat that had formed on his forehead seemed to slip down his cheek just a tad. "Landsteine Co." He whispered repeatedly beneath his breath, powering on his computer and typing the name in. The sound of rain beginning to pelt his apartment window echoed out through the building, the air becoming thick within his small confine. He couldn't stop himself from gluing down against the desk, hunching over it as he clicked from one article to the next that popped up regarding the testing facility. It was then that Dib came to a web page from the _National Certification Center, _pertaining to Landsteine Co.

It spoke of animal testing, just as Dib had expected, but something else that came up very shortly at the end of the article, about a small group connected to the corporation known for studying the connection of animals and…

His hair stood on end, chills rushing up his spine as Dib scanned the sentence once more, his frame seemingly engulfed in darkness as the rain clouds overhead hid away the sunlight. "Aliens-? What kind of animal testing agency researches aliens?" he spoke aloud, his hands bunching tightly into fists as he tried hard not to let his excitement get the better of him.

Oh, but that was going to be hard- Dib had already begun to scheme about how he'd make it into the building, how he'd find more information on this subdivision of alien researchers and find that green bug. He could almost taste the victory on his tongue, how he'd be able to finally prove to his father that he wasn't some nut job- respect. He'd finally get what he deserved...

He reclined in his seat, one of his rough hands coming to rub his forehead, eyes scanning over the paperwork once again. Now…how exactly DID he get into that place.

* * *

It had been a good four months since he had last spoken to his baby sister, Gaz. She was a pronoun computer engineer and director of her branch of developers, working under their father's branching out company and racking in the sort of privileges Dib only wished he had. He could almost hear his father scoffing at the notion_, "If only you had gone to college and done something with your life."_ He hunched his shoulders, glaring as he drove up the steep incline to his sister's massive home. It was a spit in the face, but Dib loved his sister- no matter how cruel she could be to him.

Upon reaching the gated entrance, he wound down his crank window and leaned out, blinking the bits of sleep from his eyes again.

"Uh- I'm here to see my sister, Gaz Membrane." He spoke out, having to clear his throat a bit. "Sir, you know she's not going to loan you anymore money, right?" Dib cringed again, squinting at the monitor. "Listen, Jerry- no one asked you- "

He could hear his sister speaking up in the background, the guard mumbling in response, before an exasperated sigh and the gates inevitable open. Dib felt a little sliver of confidence as he scuttled his small car up the drive and into the parking area. He clambered out of the vehicle, brushing his shirt from any crumbs that had settled there, before fixing his hair and heading to the front door.

There his sister stood, her arms crossed, a brow raised in an incredulous and annoyed manner, almost leering over Dib as the elder hunched his shoulders once more and gave a weary smile. "This had better be good." She growled threateningly.

His sister was far shorter than him, but that didn't stop her from being the most terrifying force of nature he had yet to encounter. Her sheer glare of power sent most things running, hair no longer falling in her eyes, but pulled to either side to show her narrowed eyes of judgement and lipstick covered lips tugged into an uninterested sneer.

"I uh— I don't know about you, Gaz, but I'd consider hiring a different guard. That ones too prying." Dib jokingly whispered to her, before huffing up his chest and giving another nervous smile. "It's—not about money this time." He swore, Gaz quirking her brow further, her head tilting down, and arms crossed firmly over her chest. "And what IS it about." She growled. Dib fell quiet, rapping his fingers against the file within his jacket.

Gaz gave an exasperated huff, rolling her eyes and retreating into the house. "NOT the ALIEN, DIB!" She barked, slamming the door behind her and leaving her brother standing out in the entrance, his shoulders now slack, but brows furrowed. "Come on Gaz! This time I really have something!" he swore, going up to the door and banging on it again. "Please! I swear I'll never ask you for anything again!"

A reign of cackled laughter erupted from behind the door, swiftly it unlocked and swung open to his sister glaring at him. "OH yeah like that's true! You're on your last string, Dib! Drinking yourself to death and spending all your stupid money on leads that won't get you anywhere in life! Zim isn't real! He was fictional! In your stupid—STUPID big head!" She swiftly flicked his forehead, making the elder retreat a little, a look of hurt sewn quickly into his face.

The younger stared at him, her hand resting on her hip, narrow eyes glaring down as he gave a defeated look. If only her heart was still as cold as it had been when she was 12. A sigh escaped her, and she moved to pinch her nose with her fingers. "What exactly do you have that makes you believe you have a lead." She murmured, playing along if not for a moment.

Dib pulled out the file, offering it up to her in silence, the younger swiping it from his hand and flipping through it a moment, until she arrived on the highlighted area Dib had scribbled about. She blinked, staring at it a moment, before sighing and shutting it. "Fine. Follow me. And if you touch anything, I'm taking your fingers in exchange for musing you." She threatened, looking rather serious as she squinted back at him. Dib slowly entered the room, a light returning to his eyes as he hustled to keep up with her.

* * *

Slapping the file down on the table, Gaz began to grab out two mugs from her cabinets, filling them with coffee and setting them down. Dib entered after her, looking down at the coffee and slipping off his jacket again, scratching his beard and moving to sit down.

Gaz silently went about the kitchen, returning with pizza and setting the cold slab atop the table. Gaz never really did change, just got older, mature, and far less willing to get Dib out of his problems. The two slowly sunk back into the same pattern they had for years, sitting across from each other and eating the pizza quietly, just looking back and forth from each other to the paperwork.

"So…how's uh—how's the wife?" Dib spoke up, Gaz quick to not respond, her eyes still squinting at Dib, before moving to open the file he had given her. Dib shrunk a tad, nervously picking at his arm as his sister flipped through each page. "I'll be right back." She muttered, standing and bringing the file with her, heading out of the room and down the hall, before disappearing entirely.

Dib could feel the cameras stuck in each room aiming his way, his eyes squinting up at them and mouth smacking dryly. Stupid Jerry. He acted like he owned the place.

Upon his sister's return, Dib had found that he ate all but one slice of the pizza, his hands rushing to brush off on his pants and settle in his lap as if he hadn't done anything. Gaz motioned for him to follow her, which he promptly did, his lanky legs able to keep up with her bolts of speed walking. She stopped him in the entrance of the building, handing him his original file, and a yellow packet with items inside. "These will get you inside, and the paperwork will prove so." She hummed, folding her arms across her chest once again.

Dib's eyes widened, his smile that had filled up his face instantly making wrinkles prick and appear beneath his eyes and about his cheeks. "Gaz, h-how did- "

"Don't ask me stupid questions." She rolled her eyes, "Just get out of my house." Dib couldn't control himself as he quickly snagged her about the middle and lifted her off the ground, hugging her tightly, before returning her to her feet. She was stiff, her brow knit and eyes wild and wide open, clearly unhappy with the physical contact.

"THANKS GAZ!" he belted, rushing out of the building. As he drove out of the driveway, she lifted her hand to her ear, pushing a button atop a small earpiece she was wearing. "Next time he comes into my driveway, don't hesitate to shoot at him."


	3. The Facility

A lull of distant rumbling echoed out into the streets where Dib sat within his car, hands gripping the steering wheel, brown eyes glued to the building in the distance. He could feel he was getting closer, and if the storm brewing outside wasn't sign enough, the twists within his gut were. He looked down towards the small brown packet Gaz had handed him, his hands beginning to sweat a tad. He didn't know if he could go through with this, the weight of what the punishment for being caught slowly falling upon his shoulders, but with the narrowing of his eyes, he gave a huff, and reached out to snag the container.

Dumping its contents out onto the seat beside him, he took the small folded up paper within out and stuffed it into his pocket, a pair of badges with his image dawning them promptly snapped onto his jacket pocket and pant loop. He collected his senses, and quickly clambered from the car, locking it behind him and flipping up his coat's collar. Well…if anything, if he did disappear, Gaz knew where he went… Not that that would probably matter.

Coming to the front of the building, Dib stared up at the structure that now lay before him, not much bigger than a regular office building, it seemed silly now with how scared Dib had felt prior. He rubbed his hair back from in front of his eyes, his glasses fixed squarely on his nose, and hands patting his jacket to be sure he had his badges, before heading towards the entrance.

Before he could open the door, the intercom came on, a crackling voice behind it. "State your name." Dib stalked up, darting to look at the black box beside the door's handle. "Uh—Dib. Dib Membrane." He spoke, showing his badge. Returning, the sound of a keyboard typing away could be heard, before a hum slipped out. "New guy. Alright, come on in and step to the left." With that, the door could be heard unlatching, and Dib entered after which, standing off to the left.

He was in a small hall like area, two doors on either side, one to the outside world, and one to the facility's insides. There was a small glass window in front of him, in which a man sat, most likely the security guard eyeballing him. "Hold still." He spoke again, Dib doing as he was told and huffing up his chest just a little.

A scanner shot out from above the window, scanning Dib's body, before retreating again and the second door unlocking. "You're to meet with Professor Hinkler in office B2. Its down the hall to the left, sharp right and straight ahead. If you get lost, locate another office worker and return here." The man droned, sliding a small paper through the slot separating him and Dib. The scrawny man reached out, taking it and scanning it. A map, which gave Dib a spurt of excitement. He gave a thankful nod to the guard, before heading through the second door.

For some odd reason, the room he entered next seemed far too quiet, cameras in each corner quickly locking onto Dib's scrawny frame, following him as he moved towards the hallways nearby. Alright- so the plan was to find something to guide him to the lower levels, assuming that's where the testing was taking place. He could only assume, only having a small scrap of paper with little to no guideline of what the buildings structure and layout was say but the first floor.

He'd better move before the guard came to see what his issue was.

Moving down the hall towards the left as he had been told earlier, he scanned each wall, murmuring beneath his breath each of the names strewn over the doors. Strangely enough, Dib swore he recognized a few of them. Perhaps they were involved with his father in some way? Unlikely… Dib's father wasn't exactly the type to settle with simple animal testing. He was into "real" science. He paused a moment, blinking as he stared down at what seemed to be an elevator. Looking back down the hall towards the main entrance, Dib noticed that there weren't any cameras keeping an eye on him, and swiftly moved towards said elevator.

There was a small keypad, activated by the scan of an ID card, which reluctantly, Dib proceeded to do. He jumped a tad, as the access was granted, and the doors of the elevator opened. "Gaz, you're a genius." He snickered, clambering inside and squinting at the various numbers for each floor.

He spotted the lowest number, and went to push it, though paused as the doors were opened and a man hurried inside. "Way ahead of me, I see!" He grinned, Dib raising a bushy brow as the clean-shaven man dawned in a white medical jacket thrust his squeaky-clean hand out to meet Dib's. "I'm Professor Hinkler. I noticed you wandering and assumed you had lost your way. Come! I'll give you the full tour." He nodded, going and hitting the first-floor button instead of the last. Dib grit his teeth, giving a fake smile as he felt sweat begin to bead on his forehead. "Uhh—yeah! Sorry, couldn't find your office!" He played along, letting out a huff of air. He'd have to try and sneak away again another time, for now… he was stuck.

* * *

"Here is where our experts test for regulations, and in the next level, we'll get to see the genetically modifying tests. Those always are a crowd pleaser." The doctor chuckled to himself, his face strung up in an almost rubber like smile, Dib following behind nervously as they passed rows of animals confined in small cages, some set in boxes with their heads the only thing being free, mostly rabbits and mice and small animals that stared at Dib as though he was part of their problem. Dib could feel his skin crawling, trying hard not to make eye contact with any of these helpless animals, until finally they escaped the room, the air seemingly easing as they headed back to the elevator.

"Yeah… real exciting." Dib mumbled, eyeing a small metal plaque beside the elevator to see each name for each level. There he spotted it, below the first five or six animal related names, Dib could see in bright red text, _"Xenoarchaeology Database"_ and_ "Xenoarchaeology Research"_. Dib assumed both were dubbed in red due to their security measures, and quickly looked back towards the Professor.

"Are we going to be able to see these levels?" he spoke up, quirking a brow at the other man, who halted, staring back at Dib a moment, before giving a little smile. "Oh, you'll see them in good time-"

"But if I wanted to see them now?" Dib spoke again, the air between the two seemingly solidified, the sweat on Dib's forehead beginning to bead. "Ah- I'm afraid you'll have to wait a month or so before being granted access to them." He spoke again, this time, those eyes of the professors bore into Dib, as if he had cursed at him.

That settled it, and Dib nodded, stepping into the elevator in silence as the professor clicked the next button. They stood there, not a word spoken, before the older man chuckled, fixing the cuffs of his sleeves. "You know, for a new guy, you sure do ask strange questions…come to think of it…" the man furrowed his brow a bit further, moving to pull out a small pad from his jacket pocket, flipping through it, before eyeing Dib again. Instantly, Dib knew from the look on the other's face that he was caught, his teeth clenched, lips pierced and throat running dry. He stalked up as the man moved to reach for the emergency button. "I think its time you were let out- "

Before the doctor could touch the button, Dib threw out his hand, snagging hold of his wrist and twisting it backwards until he was able to connect the older man's face and chest with the wall, his other hand shaking as it rushed to grab his badge from his pocket. A struggle between the two quickly took place, Dib unable to control his desperate movements, snagged the other's head back.

With three forceful bangs, he was able to properly knock the doctor out, his body becoming heavy as Dib caught him and lay him out on the elevator floor. He was forming a plan, mind wracked as he heaved out anxious breaths and stuffed the key-card into his pocket. Upon the doors opening, Dib rushed out, yelling into the hallway. "He collapsed! Someone help him!" he called out, the doctors there rushing to aid their friend, which gave Dib the opportunity to hurry to the opposite side of the hallway and into an empty elevator.

There, he hit the last two buttons and watched as he went unnoticed into the bowls of the building.

His stomach began to sink, hands clenching the bars about the walls of the small box he now sat in, breathing harshly and trying to think up a plan- that is, until the door opened, and he stood at the level just prior to the very last one. It was a small hallway, dark and cold feeling, a computer or two settled in small hovels embedded into the walls on either side, while one screen was fastened to the wall ahead of him. Looking around, he realized there wasn't a soul in sight, and promptly rushed to the screen in front of him. As he approached, the screen came to life, blinking a sign of a key, pointing to a small scanning pad beside a keyboard.

Dib patted down his jacket, producing the small ID badge, placing it there, and watching as it was accepted. The wall pulled back, the screen shifting and splitting down the middle, as a green light lined the outer walls. Dib blinked, peeking down, and seeing there another door, but this one asked for a different type of key- the DNA kind.

He felt his stomach drop again, his mouth running dry and palms sweating, until he realized- a bit of the professor's blood had found its way onto his glasses, probably from how forceful he had slammed his head into that wall. He tore them off his face and tapped the inner glass to make the blood drop fall into the small, rounded container atop an extended limb. The vile was promptly shut, the arm holding it pulling back and locking into the wall, before that door unlocked as well.

Dib rushed towards it, pulling on its handle and entering to find himself in a large, dark room. It smelled of old paper and ink, like a newspaper production line. His movements, however, quickly let the lights above his head know of his presence, and they flickered to life. The walls were lined with similar computers that he had seen outside, blinking and fixing his glasses back atop his nose, he looked about the isles and isles of files, all categorized and settled there to collect dust. Seemingly the area had been left untouched for some time, dust lining the aged monitors, styled in the old dos prompt format he remembered as a child, their coverings yellowed with age. He brushed one clean, but sadly it did not power on, his attention soon drawn to the files on each of the shelves in the middle of the room. He headed that way, stepping into each and pulling out file upon file of blacked out and blank pages. They made no sense, why would you have shelves like this put in such high security with nothing on them…

He huffed, scratching his head and hurrying to the last of the isles, in which he saw a single file with the words _"Irken, 08-12-2006"_ strewn on the front. There- that was all he needed, those simple words that made his arm hair stick upright, goose bumps covering him and breathing harsh. He tore it open, flipping through its contents and reading each crucial line that wasn't blacked out. He hadn't the time to read all of it, but he did remember to do one thing that would surely save his ass.

Rushing to place the file down on the desk, he whipped out his phone, and began to take pictures of each page, front and back, his hands shaking so badly that he had to hold his phone with both of them, until finally he took the last photo, and stuffed the file back in its place.

"HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!"

Dib jolted up, his hands flying in the air, eyes wide as a gun stuffed its way against his back. "You have some explaining to do." Came a growl from one of the various guards now flooding the room. Now he was in some deep shit.


	4. The Failure

"MMPHeh-wh..."

Dib jolts upright, snorting awake as he shakes his head and blinks through blurred, fuzzy eyes. Almost instantly, his head began to ache as if a truck had rammed into him. His glasses were half hanging from ears, drool dried on one cheek, and unkempt hair falling in his face. "Where the..."

The room he sat in was dark, a single light hanging over his head like an interrogation room, a table in front of him, and a window ahead of him- blackened and reflecting Dibs face. A sense of urgency ruptured up Dibs spine, his hands jerking to try and feel his pocket for his phone, but both were restrained behind the chair he sat in. Harsh breaths tore from him, his teeth grinding down on each other as he struggled and jolted about in his chair, frustration turning his face a reddish shade.

Finally, he gave in, grumbling and glaring at the window as he puffed a strand of his greasy hair from in front of his eyes. It was silent other than the low hum of the lights above his head, and his harsh breathing. He knew what they were trying to do. They were trying to make him feel uncomfortable, annoyed, wanting him to be ready to feed them what they wanted before they even came in. This wasn't the first time Dib had been inside a police interrogation room. He knew their game they played. Finally- a face appeared, a man entering into the room by the door beside the large window. He was wordless for a moment, stepping towards the table and slapping down a file atop the table. In turn, Dib reclined, squinting down at the file and darting those brown eyes back up at him.

The man was clean cut, hair combed back with lines of gray feathering about the sides of his head, dawning a suit and a gun holstered against his right hip. "Dib Membrane- 42, failure of a son to Professor Membrane. You sir, are in deep shit." The man scanned Dibs face, looking for any inkling of worry, but nothing seemed to cross it, other than that sharp, aggressive glare. "If I were you, I'd start explaining why you broke into a facility and beat a man unconscious- or else, you're facing a looong, looong time somewhere very unpleasant." The man set his hands on the table, glaring back at the middle aged intruder.

With a shift of his frame, Dib grumbled a moment, sighing a tad. "Listen, buddy. I wouldn't be the one making threats here." He let ebb from between his grit teeth. The man narrowed his eyes further, before snagging up the file and flipping it open. "You really are a lunatic- we spoke to your father. He reported to me that you've struggled with mental disorders since a young boy, and that doesn't look good, does it? He's given us the choice to press charges- again." He slips his hand into his pocket, producing the phone he had taken from Dib, the sweating, angry, restrained man gluing his eyes to it.

"No one's coming to save you." He dropped the phone on the table. A moment of strained concentration eased through Dib, his brows knit, thinking of some way of escape, as if his father's betrayal hadn't even effected him- "How about this." He snorted, quirking a brow at him. "You give me back my shit, and I'll forget I ever saw anything-" "Yeah? Who's going to believe a deranged paranormal investigator? You have nothing, and you aren't getting away with this. You committed a crime, why isn't that getting through your big, fat head?" He got even closer, his face inches from Dibs.

Dib smirked, shrugging a tad, his legs shifting beneath the seat. "You're the one's with the low security." Instantly, the officer grabbed Dib by the shirt, yanking him forward so that he was forced up onto his feet, chair still clutched to his back. "SPILL, Membrane! We know you were in the lower processing warehouse. It wont be long before we figure out what you were in there for!"

Just as Dib felt his wrists begin to tingle with the pressure of the cuffs digging into them, he was dropped back, landing on the seat in a frazzled manner. The man's phone, still settled in his jacket pocket, began to buzz. He leaned back, taking the call and brushing his hand through his hair to fix the few strands that had come undone from his physical interaction. "Officer Braxon." He spoke sternly, but was cut off, a lower voice coming through the phone. "M-Mr.- yes sir- Yes right away. No he's unharmed...yes...alright..." He stammered, voice cracking a tad as he looked rather taken aback. With a snap of his head towards Dib, he stuffed his phone back into his pocket, and headed towards the door. Apparently, Dib had found a way out of this...or else, someone had for him.

Before he could shut the door behind him, one of the officers spoke to Officer Braxon, who seemed rather frustrated that Dib had slipped through his fingers.

"Undo his cuffs and get the man his things. His father will be here shortly to pick him up."

* * *

"This is your most delusional moments yet, son." Came a strained, grumble of his father, the man driving with Dib at his side back towards his dilapidated apartment. The streets were rainy and dark, the concrete reflecting the dim street lamps. "Dad- you have to hear me out on this." He spoke, his hand shakily rushing to grab his phone.

"STOP." The elderly man barked at him, slamming on the breaks as they came to a sudden halt in the middle of the rainy, empty street. "This has gotten out of hand! Do you realize what you did back there?" Professor Membrane's eyes creased behind his goggles, distress clear on his face. "You were THIS close to becoming a CRIMINAL! Do you want that?" Dib was frozen, staring back at the other, his hand gripping his phone tightly. "Dad-" "NO! I refuse to hear anymore of your deranged ramblings! I thought you would've grown out of this! I thought you were just- just distressed! Just hurt or using that fake science as a coping mechanism to forget your mother! Its been 30 YEARS, Dib!"

Dibs chest tightened, his brows narrowing. "YEAH! 30 years of your telling me you respect me and believe what I say but lied! You lied for my whole childhood- I'm not crazy LOOK! I'll prove it!" Dibs voice was shaking, cracking in his throat as the Professor rubbed his forehead, leaning back in anger. "Dib- Stop this-" He said, sternly as Dib began to flip through his phone.

"Its here- its got to be here somewhere-" He hissed, sweat slipping down his forehead, his brown eyes flashing through the phone- but it had been wiped, most likely by the police or the people at the facility. "ITS HERE- JUST-"

A hand snatched the phone from the man's grip, and it was promptly flung out the window, breaking on the concrete. The air grew thin, draining of any comfort the man might feel in his father's presence, his voice tearing from his chest as if restrained by some unknown force.

"NO!" Dib stared, shaking violently (whether due to anger, or shock) as his father slowly wound the window back up. "You're sick, Dib. I should've seen the signs earlier..." He spoke, voice quiet, making a sick, cold sweat wash over Dib's frame, shivers wracking him. "You need professional help...a profession I'm not versed in. I'm going to take you somewhere you can get that help tomorrow." He spoke, quietly, unlike how his voice had been prior.

Dib shook, staring out the window as they slowly pulled away.

And like that, Dibs one link to Zim- that shadow in his head that always lurked behind him- something no one else could see. The one thing he could prove finally to his father that he wasn't just losing his mind, that there was something out there beyond his "real science". It lay on that block they drove away from, shattered in the rainy street.

The silence that hung in the air as the two made their way down the street was eerie, a silence that the elder man hadn't heard since Dib had been sent home from skool early. His eyes darted to his son, seeing him numbly sitting there staring at the street ahead of them. His grip grew on the steering wheel, that pang of guilt building in his chest, though slowly aching away as he convinced himself of one thing. That his son was troubled, and he was doing the right thing. The silence broke, the elder man sighing as he pulled up to Dib's apartment, parking beside the sidewalk. The two sat still, Dib hanging his head just a tad.

"Dib-" The Professor spoke, choking on his words. "You could be something great...You just- you have to let things go." Dib didn't respond, slowly moving to undo his belt. As he stepped out into the rain, his father leaned towards him, staring up at him through the open door. "I love you." Dib's hands were clammy, the rain pelting him as he slowly looked back at his father, face lined with a pained, sad look. Something so similar to what he looked like when he was a young boy, hurt by his father's rejection.

"I love you too, Dad." He murmured. "I just wish you'd treat me like you do."

With that, the door was shut and Dib flipped his collar up, stepping to his apartment and inside. He stared at the disaster of a room, beer cans kicked as he stooped to pick up the paper, soggy boots slipped out of. He hadnt even realized that tears had began to form in his eyes. He had blown it, he knew he had. That growl, distant and sharp struck his stomach, an urge that drew his eyes towards the fridge. He moved closer to it, popping it open and snagging out a beer from the lower drawer, which he promptly opened and began to down. He stood there, gripping the counter, his beer shaking in his grip, teeth gritting harshly.

"...FFFUCK!" He shouted, voice booming through the room as he slammed the glass onto the ground, storming through it towards the living room, promptly tearing through it with such an anger that his veins began to pop from his arms. He tore down his old posters, the fliers and evidence he had gathered through the years, all while anger bottled in his chest and ripped out into the air in flurries of curses. He was angry at himself, angry at his father, angry at this horrible place he called a home. He fell back, sitting in his office chair, his hand lifting to snag his glasses free from his face, and the other to rub the tears from his eyes. He was giving up...

And then- if not a sign from God, than a shred of a life line from some force beyond his power, he noticed a notification on his computer, illuminated int he right hand corner.

'5 items added to icloud'

His eyes widened, brows furrowed, his glasses promptly stuffed back on his face as he rushed to shove things out of the way and swivel his mouse towards the notification. There, opening on his computer, settled the file pages he had taken photos of earlier. He stared for longer than he should have, his smirk forming on his tear strewn face. "...hhheheh...hehheh-HAHA-" he leaned back, rubbing his face again. "The loony bin's gonna have to wait till later, dad. I got an alien to find..."


End file.
